FIVE people are dead after a Niagara Falls tour bus crashed throwing passengers out of the windows as it rolled.
Photos showed a stark scene in western New York as crews rushed on Friday to save victims from the overturned bus and helicopters flew victims to hospitals.
The driver allegedly became distracted, lost control of the vehicle before over-correcting – leading to the bus rolling over.
Police said that 54 people were on board when it crashed in the town of Pembroke, near Buffalo, as it was traveling from Niagara Falls to New York City.
People inside the vehicle were thrown out of the windows as the glass shattered.
Dozens were taken to hospital in the aftermath, according to authorities.
Several injuries were also reported, with multiple people trapped under the bus, officials confirmed.
Passengers were ejected from the bus after it rolled over, New York State Police (NYSP) spokesperson James O’Callaghan told reporters at the crash site.
He said it was believed many people did not have their seatbelt on.
The bus lost control, ended up in the median and then overcorrected and went into the ditch.
The driver reportedly survived the crash, and is co-operating with police.
NYSP told drivers to expect heavy delays after the accident shut down a part of I-90 in both directions.
Traffic was severely backed up as emergency vehicles surrounded the crash.
Most of the passengers are reported to have been of Indian, Chinese and Filipino ethnicity – and ranged in age between one and 74.
The president of Mercy Flight, an emergency air transportation service that brings patients to hospitals, said that helicopters were making multiple trips to the scene.
At least two injured children and two injured adults had been flown via helicopter to local hospitals, the New York Times reported.
“I’ve been briefed on the tragic tour bus accident on the @NYSThruway,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted after the accident.
“My team is coordinating closely with @nyspolice and local officials who are working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved.”
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz called the crash a “serious mass casualty bus accident” in an X post.
Social media photos showed emergency vehicles crowded on the entire interstate near the wrecked bus.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James called the crash “heartbreaking.”
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15029167/pembroke-tour-bus-accident-shuts-down-all-lanes-injuries/